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| A look back at Advertising Week 2008 |
| This year, Advertising Week took place against the backdrop of the growing economic crisis. Ad leaders didn't shrink from the issues of the day, with agency CEOs discussing how changes in the business climate could affect marketing spending.
On the lighter side, Geico's Caveman and Serta's sheep were inducted into the Madison Avenue Advertising Walk of Fame. A band from McCann Erickson with an unprintable name won the annual Battle of the Ad Bands.
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| Leadership Spotlight |
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- Conference explores "white-knuckle ride" of account management
Account management is the "white-knuckle ride" of agency jobs, with a wide mix of daily tasks and challenges, Anomaly co-founder Carl Johnson told an audience at a 4A's conference presented as part of Advertising Week. "The problem is, it's a damn difficult job," Johnson said. "You have to love it because it's painful, it's difficult, you get a ton of abuse, you work hard." Adweek (9/24)
- U.S. Fund for UNICEF's cause-marketing in spotlight
The U.S. Fund for UNICEF's cause-marketing programs, notably The Tap Project and Pampers' "One Pack = One Vaccine" initiatives, were honored Sept. 22 at the Stars of Madison Avenue kick-off luncheon during Advertising Week. "The U.S. Fund for UNICEF has evolved into a sophisticated marketer that effectively reaches out to consumer, business and political communications in support of the world's children," said Ian Parmiter, president of the Advertising Club.Adweek (9/23)
- "Recession Session" looks for online efficiencies
The online ad segment will be better positioned to weather any downturn if it identifies ways to streamline its systems for processing ads, according to panelists taking part in the "Recession Session," an Advertising Week panel. "We're not going to scale this business unless we get more efficient," said Carl Fremont, executive vice president media at Digitas. ClickZ (9/25)
- Consultants agree: Politics is a dirty business
Democratic consultant Bob Shrum and Republican consultant Ed Rollins, who ran former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee's presidential bid, talked politics at an Advertising Week event moderated by USA TODAY's Susan Page. The pair agreed that campaigns in general have taken a negative tack, and that Sen. John McCain's negativity is proving more self-destructive than that of his opponent. Shrum said: "The biggest effect of the McCain advertising right now has been sullying the McCain brand. And as anyone in this room knows, if your ad is hurting your brand, it doesn't matter what else you are getting out of it."Adweek (9/25)
| Agency Issues |
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- Panel: Global branding requires local knowledge
Global brands need to think locally to make sure they engage consumers in their various markets, while staying true to their overall identity, Millward Brown Group CEO Eileen Campbell told an audience at an Advertising Week session. "Cultural relevance is important," Campbell said. "You need to respect local culture and become part of it." Adweek (9/25)
- Panel: Google, Publicis provide details on partnership
The partnership between Publicis Groupe and Google is being driven by five key factors, including the need to simplify media buying and the increasing importance of mobile platforms and social media, according to a panel session featuring executives from both companies, at the IAB's MIXX Conference. Tim Armstrong, Google's president of advertising and commerce, North America, and David Kenny, managing partner of VivaKi, the Publicis Groupe unit encompassing its digital units, discussed the alliance at the session. Mediaweek(9/22) , ClickZ (9/23)
| Creative Achievement |
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- Caveman, Serta sheep are new members of Walk of Fame
Geico's Caveman and Serta's sheep are this year's additions to the Madison Avenue Advertising Walk of Fame, where they will join such ad icons as Tony the Tiger, the Pillsbury Doughboy and Colonel Sanders. Also deemed walk-of-fame worthy by voters in an online contest were slogans for the U.S. Postal Service ("We deliver for you") and UPS ("What can Brown do for you?")MSNBC/The Associated Press (9/22) , Adweek (9/22)
- Marketers willing to push envelope for online laughs
Marketers are increasingly willing to take a chance with edgy online comedy clips, as long as they're produced by professionals, according to an Advertising Week panel. "User generated content is less and less interesting to clients," said Josh Abramson, co-founder of the CollegeHumor Web site. "We're more and more focused on original comedy. You don't have to be constricted by typical guidelines. But you're constantly walking a fine line." Mediaweek (9/25) ,MediaPost Communications/Marketing Daily (9/26)
| Focus on Interactive |
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- Academic: Social nets are about people needing people
The desire for a shared sense of humanity -- rather than financial motives -- is one of the main factors fueling the success of social media, new media academic Clay Shirky told PBS talk-show host Charlie Rose during a Q-and-A at the IAB's MIXX conference. "People create value for each other because we're human," Shirky said. "We're not self-obsessed, we like to know other people."paidContent.org (9/23)
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